What Projects Are You Planning to Make Your Home Greener?

There are many ways that you can make your home more eco-friendly either on a small or a large scale.

Maybe it's something as simple as changing your light bulbs. 10 Easy Ways to Save on Energy at Home suggests changing your old light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs in order to save more energy, and also gives other great energy-saving ideas that you can do around your home.

If you opt to embark on a larger project, you might consider building your own solar water heater to save a tremendous amount of energy and money. Build Your Own Passive Solar Water Heater gives information and instructions on how to build a simple solar water heater.

We bought a front loader washer/dryer set a couple months ago and have already noticed a savings of about $10.00 a month on our electric bill. We are also looking at installing a new hybrid electric water heater that uses a heat pump system. The manufacturer claims a regular electric water heater costs about $550 per year to operate while the hybrid is about $234 plus it recovers faster and has a 10 year warranty. We will be tearing an old shed down this summer (offering the old wood on freecycle.org so it doesn't go to the landfill) and building a new one incorporating some recycled windows. We are using opaque fiberglass panels for the roof and are going to take a crack at installing a solar panel to operate a small pump in our cistern next to the shed that irrigates our garden.

Money-Saving Tips in Every Issue!

At MOTHER EARTH NEWS, we are dedicated to conserving our planet's natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. You'll find tips for slashing heating bills, growing fresh, natural produce at home, and more. That's why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $5 and get 6 issues of MOTHER EARTH NEWS for only $12.00 (USA only).